STMicroelectronics has announced that the company has developed an orientation and motion human interface device sensor in collaboration with Microsoft.
The sensor solution runs on Windows 8 operating system and will be on display at the Microsoft BUILD conference being held at Anaheim from 13-16 September, 2011.
The collaboration with Microsoft further is a testimony to STMicroelectronics’ capability to develop a comprehensive sensor solution with dedicated software and processing capabilities in one unit. Currently in mass production stage, the iNEMO features a three-axis digital accelerometer, digital magnetometer and digital gyroscope, along with sensors to measure barometric pressure and calculate proximity. An STM32 microcontroller uses an Intelligent Interface Controller protocol to control the human interface device (HID) and the iNEMO Engine sensor-fusion algorithms.
The Corporate Vice President, MEMS & Sensor Product Group at STMicroelectronics, Benedetto Vigna stated that by collaborating with Microsoft to enable the sensors run on Windows 8 operating system, the sensor solution is capable of delivering plug-and-play benefits as well as turn-key advantages on both ARM and x86 processors Vigna explained that Windows 8-based sensor scenarios such as indoor location or screen rotation will provide better end user experience since the sensor-controller firmware and Microsoft’s sensor driver stack eliminates the need for external drivers. Additionally, by using the STM32 microcontroller, power saving feature will be integrated into the iNEMO module.